DIY: Watch polishing using a Dremel

motegi

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INTRO:

As all watch collectors know that our precious watches will pick up minor scratches and scuffs over time. And most of us would like to keep our collections in the best possible condition for years to come. Using this tutorial I will demonstrate a few simple ideas on how I refinish some of my own watches. This will not repair major damage but will be effective for minor blemishes from day to day wear and can be quite simple to perform if you own or have used a Dremel rotary tool before.

TIME: About 30 minutes to 1 hour depending on how much of your watch you are wanting to polish.

TOOLS: A Dremel rotary tool (or similar device), soft microfiber or cotton cloth for wiping off the residue after the polishing is completed.

COST: Under $10 for the polish.

MATERIALS:

1a) MAAS metal polishing creme ($12 on Amazon or may be found at some local hardware stores) OR
1b) Mothers' Automotive Mag and Aluminum Polish also works quite well too (under $10 on Amazon or at your local auto parts stores).

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2) Dremel felt polishing wheel/kit (you can find these for under $15 on Amazon or at your local hardware stores)
felt-polishers.jpg



TUTORIAL:

The key is running the Dremel on one of the lowest speed settings and working slowly. I go progressively from medium to light pressure and polish both lengthwise as well as perpendicular.

Finally, I finished the polishing with a Cape Cod cloth and refinished the brushed areas with a green Scotch Brite pad.

The watch shown is an Invicta Miyota Pro Diver that I gifted to my father many years ago. It has been worn daily and shows the scuffs and scratches of use. I borrowed it for refurbishment and the following is the result.

Here's the BEFORE:
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And now the AFTER:
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Obviously if you don't already have a Dremel and want to start refinishing your watches, then a pedestal grinder a hand drill mounted polishing kit might make things faster. On the other hand if you already own one, then a Dremel may take a bit longer but it can work quite well.
 
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DIY: Watch polishing using a Dremel

Believe it or not Brownells (a gunsmith supply) has all types of polishes and wheels that may be of interest at reasonable prices and types. I used some of their stuff on a titanium Casio and it looks really good.
 
DIY: Watch polishing using a Dremel

nice DREMEL TUTORIAL[br][br][br]PROFESSOR MO MAN at the lectern
 
DIY: Watch polishing using a Dremel

[quote source=/post/)5489/thread timestamp=)4)62767)7 author=@thewatchcellar]I have heard that Flitz metal polish works the best....any thoughts?[/quote]I use Flitz on stainless steel guns on a regular basis. It will take a brushed finish to high polished in a very short period of time with just cotton rags. I have never used rotary tools. Im sure it would work really fast that way.[br]
 
DIY: Watch polishing using a Dremel

Flitz is great... use it on the stainless on my boat...
 
DIY: Watch polishing using a Dremel

WOW! This Flitz must be magic! I'll check it out the next time I need to polish a watch...
 
DIY: Watch polishing using a Dremel

[em][font face=georgia color=#35)9e6 size=4]Thanks for posting Motegi. :)[/font][/em]
 
DIY: Watch polishing using a Dremel

Just came across this thread, very good and a question I have wondered about for a long time. The before and after is impressive.
 
DIY: Watch polishing using a Dremel

Great tip, I've got a Dremel and have done many things with it but never considered polishing a watch. Definitely going to give this a try! Thanks for posting and sharing. That watch looks amazing after polishing!
 
DIY: Watch polishing using a Dremel

Great tutorial. Did you protect the crystal during the polish. If that is one of the original saphire then I see no problem, how about mineral and flame fusion.
 
DIY: Watch polishing using a Dremel

Nice use of the dremel - [br][br]I used a dremel to take a row out of a mesh bracelet once...
 
Maas works well with a Dremel but personally I avoid Mother's...not because it's bad but because unless you use a lot of polish on items other than watches, the tub will dry out long before you make it even half way through. Pikal Care is also good but is pricey compared to Maas and not much better: it's more of a snob thing.

I hadn't thought of a Scotch Brite pad....that sounds smart. I usually use a brush wheel on the Dremel for the brushed portions of the watch but that requires a steady hand to keep everything nice and smooth. If you're really gutsy 400 grit sandpaper also works. I'm definitely going to give the Scotch Brite a shot, though.
 
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